This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.
In an anatomy, such as a human anatomy, various anatomical portions and functions may be damaged or require repair after a period of time. The anatomical portion or function may be injured due to wear, aging, disease, or exterior trauma. To assist the patient, a procedure may be performed that may require access to an internal region of the patient through an incision. Due to exterior soft tissue, visualization of portions of the interior of the anatomy may be difficult or require a large opening in the patient.
Image data may be required of a patient to assist in planning, performing, and post-operative analysis of a procedure. For example, magnetic resonance image data can be acquired of the patient to assist in diagnosing and planning a procedure. The image data acquired of the patient can also be used to assist in navigating various instruments relative to the patient while performing a procedure.
It is known to fixedly interconnect fiducial markers or tracking devices with a patient while imaging the patient and substantially using the fiducial markers that are imaged in the image data to correlate or register the image data to a patient space and the tracking devices for subsequent tracking. The fiducial markers and/or tracking devices are sometimes invasively fixed directly to the patient. While such fiducial markers and/or tracking devices are suitable for their intended use, they are subject to improvement. For example, it may be desirable to: minimize the invasiveness of the fiducial markers and/or tracking devices on the patient; not limit registration to the specific discrete locations of implanted fiducial markers; overcome issues presented when the fiducial markers and/or tracking devices are obscured during surgery; and generally increase the accuracy of the fiducial markers and/or tracking devices. An improved patient tracker would also be desirable. The present teachings are directed to an improved patient tracker that may be an improved fiducial as well.